Flu Bugs
by roniangel85
Summary: Gabriella's sick, her mom's going away for work, & their parents agree to let Troy stay over to look after her - because they're nowhere near that stage of their relationship... or are they? TxG - ONESHOT!


**Hey everyone!**

**Firstly I want to say a huuuuge thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/fave'd All That Matters - I'm hoping my English lecturer liked it as much as you guys did!**

**So this is something that I came up with a few weeks before Christmas, when I was off work & uni with a cold... but I took a while to write it :P  
then cos I'm a bit of a perfectionist at times, I had a few people look over it.**

**A huge thank you to didumissmeofcourseudid for reading first & giving me the initial confidence to admit that okay yes it is post-worthy! Plus a bigger humungous thank you to bombastic-banter, who beta'd the hell out of this for me & put me right on a few 'britisms' that I'd included (apparently Troy Bolton would never 'stay for tea' :P ;) )**

**I'm gonna shush up now, so please... comments are always welcomed :)**

**- Roni xoxox**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing... the brilliance of the Disney Franchise does that for me ;)_  
**

* * *

"Achoo!"

Gabriella Montez groaned as she relaxed back against the sofa, rubbing a tissue over her nose as she closed her eyes again.

She couldn't believe that it was two weeks before the end of her senior winter term, and she was off school with the flu of all things, even when there were still many deadlines she had to meet! Okay, she relented, she was far from behind because she had already completed all of her work, but the timing still annoyed her. Plus, she really didn't want to miss any of her last year at East High School, knowing that the time she had left with her best friends was rapidly shrinking.

She sighed as she gazed at the television, where a random daytime chat show was showing, but her mind was in the familiar corridors and classrooms of her school, with her friends, planning the yearbook, watching the basketball team practice, laughing and joking in the cafeteria, and sitting on the roof talking with her boyfriend, Troy.

A smile crossed her face at the thought of Troy, just as it always did. Since she'd come down with the flu – despite the risk of contracting it himself and therefore risking missing the final basketball game of the term – he had visited her every day before school to say good morning, bringing with him a small treat, whether it be flowers (daisies he'd picked from his mother's well-tended garden), a DVD (normally something in the rom-com genre – one day 27 Dresses, another day Step Up), or a box of her favourite chocolates – a challenge considering he had no idea which were her favourites, and she refused to tell him until he got it right! Even if she'd been asleep, he left the presents on her bedside table with a small note, leaving her to wake up in her own time. Then, once he was done with school and practice, he'd been coming around to check on her again, just to hang out until her mom got home from work, at which time he'd either stay for dinner before returning home, or say his goodbyes and make himself scarce, only to reappear on her balcony a few hours later to kiss her goodnight.

Gabriella snuggled more under her duvet, glancing up at the clock and smiling again as she realised it was almost time for Troy to get there again. He'd somehow managed to convince both her mom and his own parents to let him stay over that night, as Ms. Montez had to be away overnight for a business meeting in New York. Unfortunately, she hadn't been too happy about leaving her daughter alone when she was so ill, and had spoken at length to the Boltons about the extent of Gabriella's sickness, with emphasis on how weak she had been since she came down with the flu. When Gabriella had heard her mother's side of the conversation, she had rolled her eyes – she had already told her mom that she and Troy were nowhere near going that far in their relationship. but Maria had insisted on having 'the talk' with her 'baby' before letting Troy stay over, which, Gabriella cringed as she recalled it, was possibly the most embarrassing moment of her life – bar fainting in church before her solo.

But despite all of that, the Boltons had agreed; Maria had given Troy a key the day before so he wouldn't have to disturb Gabriella, and left a note that morning with explicit dos and don'ts for her absence, so all Gabriella had to do was wait for her boyfriend to show up after school.

A few minutes later, she looked up, hearing a key in the lock, a wide grin spreading over her face as Troy Bolton, East High's primo boy and star basketball captain, let himself into her house, making sure to lock up behind him before he turned back to her, flicking his brown hair out of his bright blue eyes, and fixing one of his famous knee-buckling grins on her.

"Hey, babe!" he greeted her cheerfully. "How are you feeling today?"

"Just as crappy as when you asked this morning," she chuckled. "How was school?"

"Just as crappy as when you asked yesterday," he winked, dropping his backpack on the floor then vaulting over the back of the sofa and landing beside her, leaning over to press a soft kiss to her cheek.

Smiling happily, Gabriella moved around to cuddle up to her boyfriend, sighing contentedly as she closed her eyes, before suddenly pulling away and grabbing a tissue, just as she let out a loud series of sneezes, which quickly turned into coughs, leaving her weary as she leant back against the sofa again.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked, alarmed, as he gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.

"I'm fine," she mumbled, her voice sounding stuffy and bunged up.

"You want me to get you some water?"

Gabriella smiled at his concern, nodding slowly.

"Please," she agreed. "You know where the glasses are, right?"

"Cupboard above the kettle...?" Troy said, a little uncertain, but grinned as she nodded. "Back in a second," he kissed her forehead as he stood, going into the kitchen to fetch the water, returning moments later and handing it over proudly. "Here's your meds, too," he added, handing them over as per the instructions he'd found from Maria Montez.

"Bloody mother," Gabriella muttered. "She seems to think I can't take care of myself at all." She sighed, but took them with no further argument, looking at her boyfriend over the rim of the glass, smirking softly as she finished the water. "She had to have The Talk with me again, yesterday evening."

"Oh, God," Troy groaned, leaning back against the sofa and running his hands over his face. "I thought it was just my parents being idiots about it! How many times was it for you?"

"Twice," Gabriella chuckled. "Once when I first suggested you stayed two days ago, and last night before I went to bed. Why, how many did you get?" she asked, spotting the unimpressed look on Troy's face.

"Night and morning since your mom spoke to mine," he muttered distastefully.

Gabriella stared at him for a moment, before bursting into fits of giggles, clapping a hand over her mouth as she struggled to maintain her composure and calm down a little, knowing that laughing only made her cough more.

"I'm glad you find it so funny," Troy said, unable to stop himself smiling as he watched her obvious mirth – a part of him grateful to hear the sweet sound of her laughter again after the past week of sniffles and painful groaning.

When she'd settled down again, he retook his seat beside her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders as she cuddled into him once again.

"So, I was hanging out with the gang at lunch," he said, his tone conversational.

"Yeah?" Gabriella looked up at him, a little confused as she didn't really expect him to do much else at lunch. "They all okay?"

"They're good," he nodded. "But we got to talking; apparently Tay had problems handing in an assignment or two..." Her eyes widened and a blush spread across her cheeks as she ducked down slightly, burying her face in his chest. "Then Zeke said the same," Troy continued. "It turns out, all of the others had problems handing in assignments for you, Ones that you'd already given me to hand in." Gabriella let out something that could only be described as a squeak as she hid herself even more, holding onto her boyfriend's frame tighter, making him laugh at her reaction. "Babe, did you honestly not think that I was capable of handing in a couple assignments for you?" He raised an eyebrow as she shook her head against him, but didn't move otherwise. "So, why did seven other people have copies to hand in as well?" He tipped his head back against the back of the sofa as he heard an extremely muffled response coming from the girl in his arms. "Can I have that again please? Preferably in English this time?" He gently pulled her up so he could see her. "As in, less muffled by my shirt?"

"Sorry," she sighed, rubbing her hands over her face in embarrassment. "It's just, you know how I get over deadlines when I'm well enough to hand assignments in myself. Because I couldn't hand them in personally, I just thought I'd cover all eventualities and..." she drifted off, mumbling.

"Give all of your friends copies to hand in for you?" Troy asked, his amusement evident.

"I'm a nerd," she sighed heavily, dropping back against the sofa again.

"Yeah," he agreed, smirking at her insulted look. "But you're my nerd," he added, pulling her close again, pressing a soft kiss behind her ear, smiling against her skin as he felt her shiver. "Cold?" he asked innocently.

"Well, now you come to mention it," she murmured, pushing the duvet over his lap as she snuggled into him more, feeling a little daring as she slipped one cold hand under the front of his shirt and tee to rest on his toned stomach.

"Hey!" he protested softly. "Your hand's cold!"

"And you're all warm," she pouted, gazing up at him from beneath her eyelashes, knowing full well that he could never resist her like that.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, ceasing his argument and pulling her closer instead, resting his head on top of hers as they watched the television, both settling down as a Christmas film started.

A few hours later, after the first film, and then another had finished, and the young couple (well, Troy mainly) had eaten the pizza that they'd ordered in, Troy decided it was time for his sick girlfriend to retire to bed.

"I don't want to," she pouted, wrapping her arms tighter around him in protest.

"Babe, you're ill," he chastised. "You need to go to bed and get some rest; or else you're not going to get better!"

"Ugh, fine," Gabriella relented. "But are you coming with me? Because my bed's going be all cold..."

Troy looked at her for a moment. "Rule number two on your mom's list, no sharing beds," he told her. "Which coincidentally was number one on my mom's list."

"Your mom made a list too?" Gabriella asked in disbelief.

"Please don't tell me you're surprised?" he raised an eyebrow. "C'mon, I had..." he counted quickly on his hands. "Four more 'talks' than you did – you really didn't think my mom would make a list of do's and don'ts as well, did you?"

"But--" she started, looking coyly at him. "Our parents aren't here, so they're not going to know whether you stayed in the guest room, or even down here, are they?"

"Why, Miss Gabriella Anna Montez," Troy said in amusement. "Are you possibly suggesting that we betray our parents' trust, lie to them, and go behind their backs by deliberately disobeying them?"

"When you put it that way..."she looked uncertain.

"Sounds brilliant," he smirked.

Before she could say another word, Troy was stood beside the sofa, lifting her up into his arms and striding out of the lounge towards the stairs.

"Troy!" she squealed as best she could.

"Shh, bedtime remember?" he teased. Gabriella rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out, but succumbed, cuddling into him more and sighing softly.

"So, you're staying with me?" she asked softly, as he laid her carefully down on her large bed.

"If that's what you want," he murmured, leaning down to kiss her lips lightly.

"Mmhmm," she replied, kissing him again, smiling as she felt the bed dip with his weight.

Troy could barely believe what he was doing, what they were doing, as he continued to kiss his girlfriend as they lay together on her bed. Sure, they'd kissed before; they'd even made out a couple of times, but it had always been somewhere fairly open – the living room in one of their houses, or the roof of East High – never somewhere as private as a bedroom in an empty house, where the chances of interruption were slim to none. And, with the way Gabriella's hands were pushing at his clothes, he was starting to feel that despite what each of them had promised their parents, maybe things weren't going to be as innocent between them as they had been for much longer.

Gabriella wasn't sure if it was the meds she was taking, or the heady feeling of having her boyfriend so close to her while they were so undeniably alone, or even if it was that she was feeling better, but for some reason, kissing Troy just wasn't enough for her anymore. Her hands almost seemed to have a mind of their own as they roamed over his clothes at first, their kisses deepening as she pushed at the shoulders of his blue shirt, pulling it off to throw it on the floor, then tugged at the bottom of his white tee, before pressing her small hands against his hot skin, causing a soft moan to escape his lips, which was immediately swallowed by her kiss.

"Gabi," he murmured, his voice deep and sending shivers through her whole body as she felt his breath against her ear, more intense than ever as he used the nickname he only ever called her when they were alone. "You feel so good," he added, one of his hands finding the space between her sweatpants and hoody to caress her skin, slowly drawing circles for a moment before sliding under her top and up her back as he pulled her closer to him, deepening another kiss.

She was curious to hear a low and husky growl, unsure where it had come from, as Troy broke the kiss to press his lips repeatedly over her jaw and down her throat. Gabriella's eyes widened as she heard it again, realising then that it had come from herself; from a place she'd never known existed until this moment. As that realisation dawned on her fully, she pushed her boyfriend up, sitting up with him, their breath mingling as they both panted heavily, staring at each other bleary-eyed.

"I'm sorry," Troy immediately apologised, pulling away from her with wide eyes, his hands dropping to his sides.

"Y-you... you are?" Gabriella stammered, her face falling. 'Oh no, he regrets it!'

"Umm, if you need me to be?" he questioned, thinking he'd been a little quick to say anything as he took in her expression. "I-I mean... if you didn't want this– then, I'm sorry..."

With a small smile, she leant forward, kissing him firmly, one hand spiking into his hair as she deepened it quickly, moaning softly.

"I-I'll take that as you wanted it," he panted when she eventually pulled away again, to catch a breath.

"Definitely," she murmured, kissing the side of his mouth. "I just-- wanted to check-- that you were okay with this, a-and..."

"How far it's going to go?" Troy guessed. Gabriella nodded. "As far as you're comfortable with," he whispered, unable to stop the smirk as his girlfriend's eyes widened and a deep blush spread over her cheeks. "But I'm not going to force you, at all," he said quickly. "We're going at Gabi-speed, okay?"

"That just makes me want everything," Gabriella murmured softly, her blush deepening again as she realised what she'd just said.

"I'm won't argue if that's true," he said huskily, kissing the side of her neck.

"Troy," she whispered faintly, wrapping her arms around his neck and laying back down, pulling him with her.

As their kisses became more heated once again, Gabriella pulled harder at his tee, breaking the kiss just long enough to yank it over his head and drop it on the floor. Before she could resume the kiss, Troy tugged at her own shirt, lifting that off as well and smirking at her, his eyes widening as he clocked her soft red lingerie before he kissed her softly, his bare chest pressing against her own, the flimsy lacy material of her bra the only thing separating them. She gasped as she felt her temperature rise again, her small hands clinging desperately to his shoulders as she kissed him passionately, which he readily returned.

"You make me feel so..." her voice trailed off as Troy sucked firmly at a certain spot behind her ear, instantly turning her to mush in his hands, a faint plea slipping from her lips. "Please..."

He felt the smirk on his lips again as he trailed a line of kisses down from her collarbone over the swell of her right breast. Without really thinking, he sucked gently at the skin there, biting down softly, marking her as his then kissing the spot lightly before he moved over to the other mound, tugging at the cup of her bra. As he pulled the material away, his tongue snaked down, finding her hard nipple and circling it slowly, smiling as he felt it harden more; he felt Gabriella's nimble fingers tighten within his thick chestnut hair, hearing her emit a tiny sharp gasp.

Within a few moments, he was fumbling at her back for the clasp of the bra, groaning in frustration as the alien contraption refused to cooperate with his attempts. After he let out another growl, he felt Gabriella's hands guiding his, stilling them while she completed the task for him, pulling the garment away and leaving her open to his gaze. Troy bit his lip as he inhaled, his eyes raking over his girlfriend's chest brazenly. Flicking his eyes back up, he spotted the uncertainty and timidity on her face, as well as the need for reassurance.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, grinding gently into her thigh, letting her feel the exact affect she had on him. "You're the most perfect thing I've ever seen."

A shy smile crossed her face as she watched him practically worship her body. She had felt the stiffness that lay within his jeans as he ground into her, a part of her proud that she had triggered such a response in her boyfriend, the other part terrified of where this was going next.

Her thoughts were quickly scattered as Troy continued downwards, pressing kisses lightly and repeatedly over her stomach, while his hands skimmed her arms lightly, leaving goosebumps in their wake. Looking up at her from beneath his eyelashes, Troy carefully bit at her navel, grinning as Gabriella arched her back sharply, a low groan coming from deep within her; the girl losing control completely as she willingly gave herself over to her devoted boyfriend.

With another smirk, Troy moved down further, kissing along the waistband of her sweatpants before he hooked his index fingers into the elastic and slowly pulled them down over her thighs, sitting up as he slid them down her toned legs, pulling her socks off at the same time, and leaving her laying there in just a tiny scrap of red lace laughingly called underwear.

"Fuck," he muttered, his eyes drinking her in greedily.

Gabriella just smiled; the look of adoration in his dark eyes enough reassurance for her that she needn't feel uncomfortable with him. Instead, she reached up a hand, sliding her fingers into his hair as she pulled him down closer, brushing her lips teasingly over his once, then twice, before she kissed him properly, sighing softly into his mouth as he rested his hands lightly on her hips.

"Gabi, I love you," he murmured against her lips, his voice deep with emotion and on the verge of cracking.

"I love you, too," she whispered back, rubbing her nose against his as her chocolate eyes gazed at him steadily. "But please, don't stop now..."

Troy smiled softly, pressing another gentle kiss to her mouth as he stood up from the bed to unfasten his jeans, pushing them to the floor with his boxers and kicking them both off quickly before he carefully climbed back onto the bed beside her.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he groaned.

His large hands gently stroked at her skin, gliding up over the outside of her thighs to grip her hips carefully, as he lifted her easily and moved her up the bed a little, letting her head rest against the pillows more. Lowering his head, he reacquainted himself with her full breasts, suckling and nibbling gently at the tender skin there for a moment, then slowly made his way back down her body. A teasing smile spread over his face as he kissed the base of her stomach, and then completely bypassing her aching centre to acknowledge her thighs, he teased her with his fingers and lips, smirking as she keened below him, whimpering his name and gripping his hair tightly.

"Troy, please!" she gasped desperately.

Troy swallowed hard, his hormones starting to kick in as he carefully tugged at the tiny red thong that matched her bra, pulling it slowly down her thighs, a moan escaping his lips as he took in the scent of her arousal. Tossing the material to one side as he removed it completely, he hesitantly pushed her thighs apart, gasping sharply as he laid his eyes on his girlfriend's most intimate area for the first time. Unknowingly, his jaw dropped, his eyes widened, and his grip tightened on her thighs as he stared at Gabriella's glistening and throbbing centre, his breath catching in his throat. He acted purely on instinct, bending at the waist and lowering his head, his tongue coming out to lick slowly and fully at the hot slit. He slid his hands up to her hips, steadying her, as Gabriella let out a deeper moan and lifted her backside off the bed, trying to get closer to him.

Her head was spinning, her body as tightly coiled as a spring, the timid attentions of her boyfriend's tongue on her most desperate, most sensitive spot, pure torture; torture she needed more of. Whimpering repeatedly, Gabriella tried to buck against his hold, and then dropped back against the bed as he slowly slid his tongue into her hot, tight centre, curling the tip up to rub against the hidden bundle of nerves there. Not knowing what she was doing, Gabriella gripped Troy's head between her thighs, pleading with him in an unrecognisable voice, her head tossing as she thrashed about on the bed, her hands gripping the bed sheets desperately, a deeper moan escaping her lips as he brought one hand up to gently tease her throbbing clit.

"Fuck, Troy!" she cried out, stiffening below him as an odd sensation spread through her whole body, making her tingle and pulsate all over, her hips jerking sharply, as she let go completely while Troy lapped at her desperately. "Oh God," she mumbled, trembling uncontrollably as she slowly began to come down from the high.

Swallowing his girlfriend's juices down, Troy grinned proudly as he pressed a soft kiss to her clit before he moved slowly up over her, straddling her hips as he rubbed his nose against hers.

"Was that okay?" he murmured.

Gabriella nodded quickly, still unable to form any speech as her heart raced in her chest. She stroked her shaking hands over his shoulders, pulling him close and hugging him as tightly as she could.

"I-I've never felt any-anything like that," she eventually stammered. "Th-Thank you so much..."

"Anything for you," he whispered huskily.

Kissing her cheek softly, Troy shifted over beside her, pulling the sheets up over the pair as he snuggled into her side, holding her gently.

"W-What about you?" she asked in confusion.

"I'm okay," he smiled, nuzzling behind her ear.

"No, you're not," she insisted, running her hand over his hard length, making him hiss in a gasp.

"G-Gabi," he stuttered, tightening his grip on her.

"Hmm?" Gabriella looked up at him, an innocent expression on her face.

"I-I... I didn't think you'd w-want..." Troy groaned, barely able to form words as Gabriella carefully stroked at his hot flesh, making him stiffen further under her touch.

"I want you," she whispered seductively into his ear.

At her words, Troy felt himself lose control, pushing her over onto her back as he settled between her legs, kissing her forcefully, which she met and matched easily, her hands moving up to hold him close to her; a moan slipping from her, muffled by his kiss, as she felt his tip brush over her entrance. Pulling back, Troy gazed down into her eyes for a moment, silently gaining her permission one final time, before he slowly pushed the head of his length between her aching and needy lips. Not wanting to rush her at all, or hurt her in any way, and still not really knowing what he was doing, he continued to move carefully, stroking circles on her hips with his thumbs as he lovingly slid into her, a smile on his face as he watched her bite down hard on her bottom lip, and pausing only when he met resistance. Troy looked at her steadily, knowing instinctively that she was battling with herself to relax and let him in fully, and taking the opportunity to breathe deeply, calming himself down a little – a small voice in the back of his head making a note that he needed to thank Chad for suggesting he learnt some self-control around tight spaces.

Gabriella had managed to keep her whimpers silent, but was thankful that Troy had been so considerate of her beforehand, as she could only imagine how painful this experience would have been without sufficient lubrication. A smile spread over her face as she spotted the steady and loving gaze from the blue-eyed boy hovering over her, prepared to take her virginity there and then, but, she also knew without a doubt, that if she said the word, he'd pull away and keep her safe instead if that's what she wanted.

At that moment, she realised that there was no other place she ever wanted to be. The flu that had been muffling her head had cleared, and all she saw was Troy; her soulmate, the one person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and the only one she ever felt completely herself with. It made her decision that much easier – her hand sliding over his cheek as she drew him down, brushing her lips over his softly, and smiling at him as he nuzzled her nose with his.

"Please," she whispered faintly.

An uncontrollable grin appeared on his face, his eyes lightening as he held her gaze for a moment, before kissing her firmly.

"I'm really sorry if this hurts," he murmured against her neck.

Troy held her tightly, their eyes locked on one another's, as he carefully pushed his hips closer to hers, feeling her stretch to accommodate him; a tiny cry spilling from her lips as the pain became too much to bear – her eyes closing and setting free a solitary tear that slowly made its way down her cheek, where it was tenderly stroked away by Troy's thumb, its path terminated by a gentle kiss as he pushed through her tightened muscles to settle fully within her.

"Oh god," she whimpered softly, blinking rapidly and releasing more tears.

"I'm sorry," he choked, tears springing to his own eyes, hating that he was the one causing her such pain.

"It's okay," Gabriella gasped. "I'm okay, I love you..."

"I'll love you forever," Troy admitted, kissing her jaw softly.

After a few moments, she took a deep breath, nodding slowly.

"Please," she murmured, flexing her hips gently.

He groaned, burying his face in her neck. "That felt so good, babe."

With growing confidence, Gabriella slowly did it again, a smirk crossing her lips as she felt her boyfriend stiffen further within her.

"Make love to me," she hissed into his ear, scraping her nails down his back.

At her words, he let out another soft moan. He'd never been able to say no to her, and that wasn't about to change today. Forcing himself up slightly, he kissed her firmly as he slowly pulled out of her, barely registering that she dug her nails deep into his back. Whispering her name against her lips, he carefully pushed back into her, dropping tender kisses over her neck & shoulder as he kept moving, thrusting within her slowly and deeply, wanting to last as long as he could.

"Oh god, Troy," she whispered, dragging her nails down his back, leaving bright red marks without even realising.

The couple were completely overwhelmed with everything they were experiencing together, neither of them ever having dared dream that their first time together would be so long. Troy was surprising himself with his staying power, as he grunted Gabriella's name into her neck, his thrusts slowly beginning to speed up, the occasional moan escaping as he hit a tighter or hotter spot within her.

Unknowingly working completely in sync with each other, both sped up their movements, creating more friction and stirring up the physical sensations they were experiencing. Gabriella choked softly as Troy murmured repeated endearments, telling her over and over how much he loved her, and how she completed him, having never realised before her that there was anything missing from his life. Holding him tighter, she was overcome with emotion; experiencing for the first time what it really meant to be in love with someone with your entire being. She knew deep inside her heart that no one else would ever be able to compare to Troy, and she never wanted anyone to try.

Troy was feeling the exact same emotions, and as he gazed down at the dark-haired beauty in his arms, everything became crystal clear. All the doubts and uncertainties he'd been harbouring about his future suddenly faded away, as he realised that nothing else mattered – not basketball, not college, nothing – bar the gorgeous young woman he was making love to right at that moment. As this realisation dawned on him, so did a sense of peace, and a huge weight lifted from his shoulders as he gave himself over to Gabriella fully, murmuring her name as he began to stiffen.

Gabriella kissed his shoulder firmly, holding her lips against his skin as she tightened her grip on him again, her hips driving roughly against his until she stilled with him, their gasped cries mingling as they simultaneously reached that peak; clinging to each other as they collapsed, both shuddering and shaky.

As they shared a deep gaze, each steadying the other as they bathed in post-coital bliss, small matching smiles on their faces as it slowly dawned on them what they'd just shared.

"Wow," Gabriella finally murmured.

"I see your wow, and raise you a 'holy fuck'," Troy replied, turning them both onto their sides so they could snuggle together without the need for him to leave her comforting warmth.

"Right there with you," she sighed, wrapping her legs around his waist and cuddling into his chest.

"Who knew innocent Miss Montez could curse so badly?" he teased, lightly tracing patterns on her back.

"Like you can talk, Mr. Bolton," she murmured in reply. "I didn't think you had it in you."

Troy paused for a moment as he thought about what she'd said. "Should I be insulted?" he eventually asked.

Gabriella chuckled and pressed a firm kiss to his cheek. "No way," she said softly. "You made this amazing – perfect. Thank you so much."

"Anything for you," he smiled, kissing her softly. "You mean everything to me."

"The feeling is most definitely mutual," she sighed, snuggling closer.

"I love you, Gabi," Troy said quietly, stroking her hair as he gazed at her.

"I love you, too, Troy," she mumbled sleepily, the rhythmic actions of Troy's hand quickly sending her off into dreamland.

The following morning, the couple woke slowly, the sunlight drifting in through the curtains on Gabriella's balcony a gentle alarm, bringing them into consciousness slowly. Gabriella smiled as she awoke first, immediately remembering what happened the night before, stroking her hand over Troy's arm that was holding her possessively, his chest pressed firmly against her back. Slowly, not wanting to wake him, she began to turn over, biting her lip as he tightened her grip on her.

"Going somewhere?" he asked, not opening his eyes, his voice husky with sleep.

"Never," she whispered in reply, turning properly and gazing up at him.

"Good," he sighed, his eyelids fluttering slowly, letting her see a flash of the cerulean blue hidden beneath them, before he opened them properly, setting the full force of his gaze upon her, making her gasp softly at the intensity. "Hey."

"Hey." she managed in return.

"Did last night really happen?" he asked uncertainly.

"Mm, well..." Gabriella pretended to think. "Judging by the nakedness, and the soreness between my thighs, I'm going to take a guess at, yes, it did happen." She smiled at him. "And I loved every single minute," she added softly.

Troy grinned down at her, pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Good," he said breathlessly when they pulled apart. "You don't have a temperature anymore either, so hopefully you've broken your fever and you'll get better soon."

"That'd be nice," Gabriella murmured, cuddling up to his chest. "But having said that, I guess we've got a lot to thank those flu bugs for."


End file.
